House passes divisive stimulus bill

Democrats approved a $3 trillion economic relief package on Friday that has virtually no chance of becoming law, but it establishes a framework for negotiations with the White House and Senate Republicans. While the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill sailed through the House on March 27 by a voice vote, Friday’s bill garnered just 208 yes votes and 199 nos. Fourteen Democrats voted against it, and one Republican, Rep. Peter King of New York, voted for it.

What’s in the bill? The measure would cost more than all of the previous coronavirus relief bills combined. It sets aside $1 trillion for state and local governments, provides another round of $1,200 payments to taxpayers, and allocates funds for unemployment, housing, college debt relief, and the struggling U.S. Postal Service. President Donald Trump said he might support more direct payments to taxpayers, but “the greatest thing that could happen [would be if] we could get our country open again, get it going again, and have people have these great jobs again.”

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report in The Stew about a bipartisan effort to provide relief for nonprofit organizations by amending the tax code.